Make Curd Slurry
1. In a bowl take 1.5 cups sour curd or about 375 grams of curd. Whisk it well till smooth.
2. Add 8 tablespoons of gram flour (besan), ½ teaspoon red chilli powder, ½ teaspoon turmeric powder, ½ teaspoon garam masala powder and 1 teaspoon salt to the whisked curd.
3. Stir and mix everything again.
4. Add 3 cups water and stir again.
5. Stir very well to make a smooth mixture without lumps. If there are lumps, then break them with a wired whisk or a spatula or with your fingers. Set the curd slurry aside.
You can use a blender to make this mixture, but make sure you don’t over do it. You will get butter instead of a smooth blended curd.
Make Pakora For Kadhi
1. Take 1 cup gram flour (besan) in a bowl and add the following ingredients:
- ½ teaspoon ajwain (carom seeds)
- ½ teaspoon red chili powder or cayenne pepper
- ½ teaspoon garam masala powder
- ⅔ teaspoon salt or as required
2. Add 1 cup thinly sliced onions. About 2 medium to large onions, sliced, approx 150 grams of onions.
3. Mix everything well and keep aside covered for 30 minutes.
4. This will allow the onions to release their water in the mixture. Depending on the water content in the onions, the mixture will become very moist or just about moist. Here’s a photo of the onions after 30 minutes. Mix again.
4. Then accordingly add water as required to make a thick batter. I added ¼ cup water. You can also skip adding water if the mixture is too moist.
6. Heat oil for deep frying in a pan or kadai. You can use any neutral-flavored oil with a high smoking temperature or mustard oil.
When the oil becomes medium hot, with a spoon drop the pakora batter in the oil.
7. When the pakora are partly cooked, then turn over with a slotted spoon and continue to fry the other side.
8. Fry till the pakora are crisp and golden turning over a couple of times for even cooking.
9. Remove the fried pakora and place them on a kitchen paper towel so that extra oil is absorbed. Fry the pakora in batches this way. When done keep all of them aside.
Make Kadhi Recipe
1. In another pan or kadai, heat 2 tablespoons of mustard oil. Make sure to use a large bottomed pot so that while cooking, the kadhi does not spill.
If you don’t have mustard oil, feel free to use any neutral-flavored oil. But the traditional Punjabi kadhi has mustard oil.
2. Add 1 teaspoon cumin seeds, 8 to 10 fenugreek seeds (methi seeds) and a generous pinch of asafoetida (hing).
Allow the cumin seeds to crackle and the fenugreek seeds to change their color. Fry on a low flame, so that these spices do not get burnt.
3. Add ⅓ cup chopped onions. Stir and saute for 3 minutes on low to medium-low heat.
4. Then add 1 tablespoon chopped ginger, ¾ to 1 tablespoon chopped garlic and 2 green chillies, chopped. Stir and sauté for a minute.
5. Now add 8 to 10 curry leaves, 2 dry red chilies (halved or broken).
6. Stir and sauté for a minute on a low heat.
7. Then add the curd slurry.
8. Stir very well.
9. Increase the flame to medium and bring the kadhi to a boil. Keep on stirring often so that the bottom does not get browned. Time taken to cook kadhi will be around 14 to 16 minutes.
10. After it comes to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer it for a further 6 to 7 minutes. Do stir at times.
The kadhi will thicken as it cooks and simmers. If it becomes too thick, then add some hot water.
11. In the below photo, the kadhi is ready.
Make Kadhi Pakora
12. Now add the onion pakora to the kadhi. Stir gently.
13. Cover with a lid and let the onion pakora be soaked in it for 8 to 10 minutes.
14. Lastly, sprinkle some garam masala powder on the Punjabi Kadhi.
15. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve Punjabi Kadhi Pakora hot with steamed rice or jeera rice, topped with few teaspoonfuls of ghee.
You could also serve with roti or paratha. However, the combination of Kadhi Chawal (kadhi served with steamed rice) is very popular and tastes very good.
